One of the quotes that caught my attention while reading Douglass was on page 1185 when it said, “if you teach that [censored] (speaking of myself) how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave.” This quote made me really think about the power that words and literature have. I understood this quote as it saying that Douglass would have too much power if he was able to read, and restricting his literacy was a way of oppression, given the power that words have. Another part of this quote that I really thought about was the language used, that I personally censored in my retyping of the quote. Using a word as strong as that slur says a lot about how Mr. Auld viewed Douglass’s worth as a person, and is important to look at when analyzing Douglass and others treatment under the Auld’s.
Prior to chapter 1, there was a quote from Wendell Phillips that I thought also brought an emphasis to how important words are. On page 1170, it reads “after all, I shall read your book with trembling for you.” This quote bring attention to the empathy that reading experiences can evoke. I thought this also connected with the quote I talked about at the top of the blog post where it insinuated that Douglass would be too powerful if he had the ability to read. Words have so much power when reading them that if Douglass had been given a further ability to talk about his experience, it would have given him more ability than his masters wanted him to have.
Another section of the reading that I thought emphasized the importance of language was on pages 1176-1177 when it talks about songs and it reads, “I have sometimes thought that the mere hearing of those songs would do more to impress some minds with the horrible character of slavery[…]” Thinking about songs historical significance, especially the significance of songs to slaves. These forms of writing were combined with music to bring African Americans together and give them a forum in which they could express the effects that they were feeling as a result of their trauma.
I love this analysis, Ava. The focus on language and the power it has really emphasizes how slaves were forced into a lower class. By not being given an education or real world experience outside of the home, they were effectively trapped by their masters. Douglass’ learning of language allows him to read more about the outside world, and about what life could be like if he were not a slave, and this gives him a significant amount of power over the Aulds.
However, it is a double edged sword for Douglass for a while. With his growing knowledge of the horrors of his situation, comes both a desire/reasoning to leave as well as depression about his current circumstance. He even said, “I envied my fellow slaves for their stupidity” (1189). With the power of words and language comes a great burden and responsibility for Douglass. He is the one with the full understanding of the situation, with the power over the white owners, so he is then the one who needs to do something about it. He does so through using the language he learned to spread the word about what was happening and to advocate for others, effecting change through the language they tried so hard to keep from him. I think that is pretty powerful.